Descriptive Writing - Using Your Senses

Descriptive Writing- Using Your Senses

When writing a story or descriptive piece, use your senses:

·         sight

·         sound

·         taste

·         touch/ feel

·         smell

For example,

I could feel the course, grainy sand beneath my feet which was warm to the touch and massaged the soles of my feet.

This technique sounds good when writing in the first person (I) but be careful not to write, I could feel...I could see...I could smell... when writing in the third person (He/ she/ they) as this is not very imaginative.  Instead of:

He could feel the course, grainy sand beneath his feet which was warm to the touch and massaged the soles of his feet.

change the order and leave out the word ‘feel’ to write:

The course, grainy sand beneath his feet was warm to the touch and massaged the soles of his feet.

In this second example ‘He could feel’ has been omitted and sounds much better.